Nico lives in the Indonesian city of Bogor which is sometimes known as the rainy city. Bogor has a humid equatorial climate so it was a bit of a surprise to learn that that he grows such wonderful figs which one normally associates with a more Mediterranean place. I would love to visit Bogor as it has one of the oldest botanic gardens in the world with a long and interesting history. As long ago as the 15th century the site was set aside to preserve rare forest trees but it was not until 1744 that the Dutch East India Company established a garden there. This later become a botanic garden in 1817 under the directorship of German born Dutchman Caspar Reinwardt (1773-1854). The garden is now known as Kebun Raya Bogor.
When I think of figs I always remember the scene of how to eat them from the Ken Russell film Women in Love which was an adaptation of the book by D H Lawrence. Lawrence is remembered locally for having lived briefly in the Wollongong suburb of Thirroul. I wonder if he bought figs from a greengrocer at the time.
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